


Merry Christmas, Raffles

by doriangay



Category: Raffles - E. W. Hornung
Genre: <3 merry christmas!, M/M, Secret Santa, it isnt really shippy but like...theyre kinda in love so? guess the ship tag counts, raffles secret santa 2k16
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 19:50:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9008680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doriangay/pseuds/doriangay
Summary: Secret Santa gift for Sarah fountainofsnow! Based off the prompt 'when Bunny gets to do something useful for a change."
 
'“Bunny,” He was avoiding my gaze, “You don’t have to come, not if you really don’t want to. It’s Christmas, you should spend time with your family, you don’t want to spend it with me-”“There’s no one else I’d rather be with,” I reassure him, “But, Raffles, do we really have to be criminals on Christmas Eve?”“We’re criminals every other day of the year, what’s the difference?”'





	

**Author's Note:**

> I really enjoyed writing this!! I've never written Raffles fic before, I hope it doesn't show :/
> 
> Happy Holidays everyone! And Merry Christmas to Sarah fountainofsnow!

“And that, my dear Bunny, is the night’s plan!” Raffles’ eyes were glittering at me from across our dinner table though, I must confess, I hadn’t heard a single word he’d said; I’d been lost in the single glass of wine he’d allowed me. Our meal was beginning to come to a close, with mine and Raffles’ plates lying empty before us, and the waiters milling around, eyeing us hawkishly.

“Raffles,” I said, “It’s almost Christmas, do you really want to ruin it for someone?”

His brow furrowed slightly and, reaching across the table, he clasped my hand in earnest and that familiarly crooked smile appeared on his face, drawing me closer. There was a piece of paper, one I assumed to be a floor plan, crumpled in his free hand.

“It’s all so delightfully simple,” he murmured, “Why, my rabbit, you won’t have to do anything more than stand guard, I promise! What’s more, is we get to go to a party - a real Christmas ball! Just think of that, eh?”

I smiled and bowed my head, defeated. In my pocket, tucked safely beneath a handkerchief, was a small, neatly wrapped present; I’d wanted Raffles to myself that evening. Whilst I cursed my bad luck and fiddled with Raffles’ present, a waiter approached us with the bill. Raffles looked down at our hands, still intertwined, and drew back as though burned, hitting his chair with a loud thump. The waiter raised an eyebrow but didn’t say a word; we were regular customers and good tippers. Seeing Raffles’ eyes widen and his body sag against his seat at the price of our dinner reminded me of why we’d turned to burglary in the first place - money was obviously tight.

“I’ll get this one,” I said, reaching for my wallet. Raffles smiled at me and sighed, looking once again at his crumpled map. 

“Bunny,” He was avoiding my gaze, “You don’t have to come, not if you really don’t want to. It’s Christmas, you should spend time with your family, you don’t want to spend it with me-”

“There’s no one else I’d rather be with,” I reassure him, “But, Raffles, do we really have to be criminals on Christmas Eve?”

“We’re criminals every other day of the year, what’s the difference?”

I shrugged and left to find mine and Raffles’ coats, putting mine on and taking his over to him; I slipped it over his shoulders and we leave the restaurant arm in arm. All the while Raffles was babbling on, talking mindlessly about cricket and Christmas.

 

Once we were well away from the restaurant, he turned to me to survey my outfit, furrowing his brow as he did so.

“Are these your best clothes?” He asked and I nodded slowly, “Well I suppose they’ll have to do, but Bunny, your hair!” He took a comb from one of his many pockets and I scowled as he fussed over me, going over the plan one more time:

“It’s going to be crowded, that’s going to give us some cover; we need to sneak away to where the jewels are kept - you’re going to be standing guard, dear rabbit, that’s what you do best. I’ll grab the jewels and then we’ll leave the party with the rest of the guests, just as though nothing ever happened.”

“Jewels?” I asked, distracted by him smoothing my coat and pinning a small flower to my lapel, “Raffles, surely you wouldn’t- we  _ can’t -  _ not on Christmas day!”

“It’s not Christmas, Bunny, it’s quarter past nine, we still have several hours.” He stepped back with a triumphant smiled and took me by the arm once more, “Besides, these are the kind of people that won’t miss a few hundred pounds, believe me.” His eyes were twinkling again.

“Fine.” I said, not without a hint of bitterness, and I let him lead me down several back alleys, wading through the shadows. Every now and then Raffles would look down as me, as though to check I was still there. When he did I saw little lights dancing in his eyes and I was reminded of why I always let myself be dragged into his schemes; just walking with him and allowing ourselves to be swallowed by the darkness thrilled me to my very core.

“It's just down here,” he hissed eventually as we approached a large mansion with lights burning in every window, “Look, Bunny, we’re not the first to arrive!” He pulled me into a nearby bush and pointed out all the people as they entered the house, “See there? That’s a lord, my dearest rabbit, and-”

“Can we go in now?” I asked, shuffling from one foot to the other, “The sooner we get this over with the sooner we can go home and the sooner I can get a nice glass of mulled wine.”

Raffles sighed, helped me out of the bush and we both made our way towards the house. There was a feeling in my stomach, one that only sometimes happened before a heist; it was the unshakeable, inexplicable feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong. I’ve since learned to trust my gut.

 

The ball was large, as Raffles had promised. There were people dancing everywhere, women in bustling skirts partnered with smartly dressed men, twirling around the dance floor in unison. Raffles prodded me when he caught me staring, leaning to whisper in my ear.

“It’s best if we don’t draw attention to ourselves, dancing would make us too conspicuous,” he said, “Just follow me, try to avoid making eye contact with anyone.” And he dragged me away from the main hall and through a small door leading to a narrow passageway. We went through several more doors, down several more halls; I tried to keep track of where we were going, just in case we needed to make a quick exit, but Raffles was going too fast for me to do anything but try to keep up.

“Here,” he said, stopping suddenly, “It’s this room, I’ll bet my life on it!” And he opened the door slowly, peering into the dark room before turning back to me, “Stand guard, I’ll only be a second.” Then, with a wink and a smile, he disappeared, handing me the map as he went.

He’d barely been in there for a minute when I heard footsteps approaching. I rapped on the door and Raffles’ became completely silent. Two men, both much taller than me, were approaching from the same direction we’d just come from; they both scowled when they noticed me, one of them even cracked his knuckles in a melodramatic display of aggression.

“What’re you doing here, then?” He said as he got closer, eyeing the door behind me, “Up to no good, I suppose?”

“Oh no, Sir!” I lied, gritting my teeth, “My- my lady friend is just down the hall, um, powdering her nose,” I said, stage whispering, “She was taking a long time and I got - I got lost trying to find her.”

The less intimidating of the two men went slightly red and rubbed at the back of his neck; the other man was still staring at the door. I pictured Raffles, cowering in a cupboard somewhere, and the panic that had been building in my chest since the beginning of my adventure began to take ahold of me.

“This door locked?” The man grunted and, taking a key out of his pocket, he locked the door, smiling with satisfaction. Without another word the two of them turned and left, leaving me, Raffles and the locked door.

“Bunny,” he hissed through the keyhole, “Bunny, there’s no way I can unlock this from the inside, I don’t have my tools with me, it’s up to you now, old boy.”

 

I tried and tried and tried to pick the lock with a small pin but my hands were shaking too much and I’d never been good at opening doors, Raffles still teases me about it to this day. There was no other option; if Raffles couldn’t get out through the door, he’d have to get out some other way. I took the house plan, studying it carefully.

“Raffles,” I scratched at the door, “Raffles are you still there?”

“Yes.”

“Can you check the window? See if it opens.”

“Bunny, we’re four floors up, there’s no way we can-”

“Listen, there’s another room, just along the corridor, you should be able to reach it if you’re careful. I’ll meet you round there, okay?”

There was no response.

“Raffles,” I hissed, banging on the door, “Raffles are you there? Goddamn it, look-” I ran down the hall to the next room and burst in, glad to find it empty. There was a window, already open, curtains fluttering in the breeze; I ran to it, leaning out and craning my head in Raffles’ direction. I could just see him, with one arm braced against the window frame, his hair being ruffled by the wind.

“Bunny!” He called.

“Raffles?” I replied, “Can you reach?”

He looked at me, then at the ground, then back at me. He went red and I noticed that his free hand was balled up into a tight fist, his knuckles turning a bright white.

“Can you - can you hold out your hand?” He asked and, without a second’s hesitation, I reached for him, stretching as far as I could go.

Raffles smiled and took a deep breath in. For a second I thought he was going to fall but he managed to swing his leg from one window ledge to the other, gripping my hand tightly. I helped him through the window, surprised that my plan had actually worked.

“Well done, Bunny!” He said, beaming in my face, “I knew I couldn’t do it without you!”

“I’m sure you would have thought of something.” I smiled at the ground, one hand reaching into my pocket for Raffles’ present, “I have something for you, if I’d given it to you earlier, then maybe things would have been simpler tonight.”

I took the parcel from my pocket and placed it in Raffles’ hand; he opened it slowly, smiling when he saw what was inside. It was a perfect little pocket watch, with a small button that released a knife, just big enough to fit into a lock.

“Oh, Bunny,” He whispered, tears springing to his eyes, “I love it, thank you.” He placed a kiss, quick and chaste, on my cheek before turning his attention back to the watch. It had his initials engraved on the front, a quick touch suggested by the jeweller when I’d had the blade fitted.

“I didn’t know what to get you,” He admitted eventually, “But I  _ did  _ snatch something I thought you’d like, here.”

In his hand was a perfectly small brooch in the shape of a rabbit, carved with intricate detail. It can’t have been worth much, especially compared to the riches Raffles had been describing earlier but, in my mind, it was the perfect Christmas present. Even years later, after Raffles’ death, I’d wear it every day, as a reminder of the night I got Raffles out of a sticky situation.

 

We managed to sneak out of the party unnoticed; Raffles walked me home, both of us becoming engulfed in the white clouds of our own breath. We stopped at my apartment, Raffles sighing and hanging his head.

“I’m afraid this isn’t the Christmas Eve you wanted, my rabbit.”

“It was perfect,” I said, smiling up at him, absolutely perfect.”

Church bells began to ring out in the distance; Raffles and I stared at each other as we counted the chimes: one, two, three four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven and twelve. It was midnight. It was Christmas day.

“Merry Christmas, Bunny.”

“Merry Christmas, Raffles.”


End file.
